


sunlight for the flowers

by fromthefarshore



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Canon Compliant, Flowers, Gen, M/M, haikyuu flower zine entry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-13 18:17:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10519194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromthefarshore/pseuds/fromthefarshore
Summary: Kenma thinks that Kuroo needs some sunlight.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was my entry for the free Haikyuu Flower e-zine "In full bloom" which you can find [here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/w43u45psyszp6ac/infullbloom.pdf.zip?dl=0), full of amazing pieces! It was a great chance to write some kuroken with flowers, and also I was lucky to have @rocking_socks collaborate with me (please check the art in the zine!)  
> I hope you will enjoy it, and happy spring to everyone~

It's not until Kuroo's skin loses all of its tan, stealing some aliveness when it goes, and his arm put next to Kenma's is almost of the same shade, that Kenma decides he can't let it go on anymore. He's been telling Kuroo to take more breaks, to leave his room or crowded libraries for a few minutes of fresh air and warm sun that his body is craving for, but Kuroo's been always saying he's fine and he's doing it all - he does walk between his home and the station, between the station and the university - so Kenma doesn't need to worry. Except it's not really _enough_.

"You need to slow down and relax," Kenma tells Kuroo when they meet at the university gate to go home together. Kuroo's carrying books - a new pile soon to appear next to his bed. He beams at Kenma, and then, rolling his eyes, bumps his elbow against Kenma's arm before walking past him.

"I'm fine," he says, turning his head to check if Kenma is following.

"Two hours."

Kenma is standing still, his fingers curling up to reach the hems of his sweatshirt sleeves. A thought crosses Kuroo's mind. Was the aircon in Kenma's classroom turned to a too low temperature that he's still cold?

"Two hours?" Kuroo asks instead, furrowing his eyebrows. Kenma nods and walks up to Kuroo, taking the bag with books from his hands.

Kuroo notices that Kenma's fingers are warm. It sends a wave of relief through him.

"You're going to spend two hours with me. No books, no talking or thinking about your homework and tests." He lets out a deep sigh and gives Kuroo a stern look, "I can't believe _I_ have to drag you outside."

-

_Outside_ happens to be a little park near the river bank not too far away from their home. They used to come here often when they were younger and Kenma knows the small area like the back of his hand. It's one of the reasons why the park is the first place to come to his mind when he wants to make Kuroo relax. Also, there are never too many people around, the sun is not blocked by too tall trees and at this time of the year, there's a pleasant smell of nature lingering in the air. It feels refreshing.

Kuroo stops complaining. He seems to be using this chance to charge up again, and when they find a nice spot to settle down on the grass, Kenma watches how Kuroo lies down, closing his eyes to the sun.

He takes a deep, long breath.

"I missed this," he says. His voice is slightly muffled as if he's not trying hard enough to pronounce the words, but Kenma doesn't mind that. He lets out a little puff and pokes Kuroo's arm, slowly dragging his finger along the line of the shadow cast by the sun.

"I was beginning to think that this year, even Bokuto will get more tanned than you."

Kuroo laughs at this and he props himself up on his elbow, opening his eyes to look at Kenma.

"I'm not that pale," he comments, watching Kenma raise his eyebrows.

"Sure," he says, picking up a little blue nemophila from the sea of grass. Some of them are scattered around the park; the wind must have carried the seeds here. "This flower doesn't believe you," Kenma hushes, putting the tiny plant on Kuroo's chest. "Don't lie to the flower."

Kuroo snorts and the smile stretches across his face. He carefully takes the flower and sits up, his legs crossed.

"Hey, do you still remember how to make a flower crown?" He puts the flower in Kenma's hair. For a second it seems like it will slip away, but being nearly weightless, it stays in place.

"I guess so." Kenma shrugs, his eyes following Kuroo's hand. "It's not that difficult."

"It's magic to me," Kuroo comments, a little chuckle escaping his lips when Kenma gives him a look. "You know I can't do it." He plucks three wild yellow flowers and tries to braid them together. "And what next?" he asks after a few moments, holding a little flower-braid in his hands.

Kenma laughs, a sudden sound of it surprising Kuroo. It's not often that Kenma laughs; he doesn't really like his own laughter, saying it sounds stupid, but Kuroo thinks it's not that bad compared to his own guffaws and chortling. He likes hearing it.

"It's not like my hair, Kuro. You don't simply _braid_ it," Kenma says, reaching for the flowers in Kuroo's hands. "Give it to me."

Kuroo hums, leaning a slight bit closer to see better what Kenma's about to do. Kenma takes a few long strands of grass and holds it together with the yellow flower-braid between his fingers. Then, he picks up a delicate pinkish flower and wraps its stem around the braid with grass, crossing it under the blossom and slipping it between his fingers as well.

"See? That's easy," he says, taking another flower and repeating the process.

And it does look easy. The thin stems of flowers bend smoothly in Kenma's hands, a little dance of the nature beginning to create a chain of the plants. Kuroo reaches for a little twig of miniature, nearly transparent light blue flowers and wordlessly hands it to Kenma. The other takes it, his eyes travelling to Kuroo's face for a moment before dropping back down to the flowers.

"You're not going to try it yourself?" Kenma asks after Kuroo hands him a few more yellow flowers and some other plants.

"I'm good," he says, a content, lazy smile playing on his face. "I enjoy it more like this."

"You've always had."

Kuroo chuckles, nodding at Kenma's words. After all, it's true. They used to come to this park and play on the grass back when they were children. Kenma had learned how to make a flower crown from his mother and even though he did explain it to Kuroo numerous times, it'd always end with Kuroo simply watching Kenma do it while handing him the flowers.

Now he's watching Kenma's fingers move in the very same manner again, even when they're a lot longer now. His hands are bigger as well, and it seems that they could crush the delicate plants easily, but they don't, instead keeping them safe.

Kenma's always been the one to be more careful with fragile things, to protect them instinctively, to notice little details about them.

"Kuro? Are you alright?" Kenma suddenly asks, his fingers stopping still as he looks up at Kuroo. The blue flower is still in his hair, and Kuroo smiles.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about you. And myself, I guess."

"And what about us?" Kenma asks, his fingers starting to work with the flowers again. The chain seems long enough and he tries to put the ends of it together.

"You take care of me."

Kenma stills again, looking at Kuroo. Then, he laughs, hurriedly intertwining the flowers and grass together. The crown looks a bit wobbly as it's not very thick with flowers, but when Kenma holds it up, it doesn't break.

He rises up to his knees and carefully puts the flower crown on Kuroo's head. Yellow, pinkish and white flowers with a few tiny blue ones among them, green grass and stems contrast nicely with Kuroo's black hair.

"I've always been good at taking care of the flowers," Kenma says with a little sigh. He moves his hands on Kuroo's shoulders, his thumbs gently brushing the soft skin of Kuroo's neck. His fingers feel warm. "I'm not about to watch the flower wither because of the lack of sun." He pursues his lips, his eyebrows greeting each other when he furrows them at the thought. Kuroo grins at him. He leans forward, their noses nearly touching.

"So, I'm a flower?"

Kenma shrugs, but there's a little beam playing on his lips.

"I don't know. Do you want to be a flower?"

Kuroo hums, closing his eyes when his thoughts wander to Kenma's soft fingers holding the flowers, careful and gentle, loving and attentive. Kuroo doesn't think he's the most delicate being, and he's not fragile, not at all, but he finds himself not minding being taken care of, at least from time to time.

"Maybe," he says, in a whisper, letting his arms wrap around Kenma in a hug. Kenma lets out a little chuckle.

"I like flowers," he says. He's warm in Kuroo's arms, he makes Kuroo feel alive and Kuroo thinks it's all he needs. He tilts his head to look at Kenma, at his bright, shining eyes, and he smiles.

"And flowers," he says, "like the sun."

"Kuro, you're ridiculous." Kenma snorts, but a little blush appearing on his cheeks shows that he doesn't mind being Kuroo's sun. And Kuroo thinks it is, indeed, all that he needs.


End file.
